Method of casting bell-bottom place-piling in soft sandy material



Jan. 4, 1936. B E BERTRAN ZKM.

METHOD OF CASTING BELL BOTTOM PLACE FILING TN SOFT SANDY MATERIAL Filed July 25, 1952 '2 Sheets-Sheet l Ihwentor Gttorneg JEH., E4, 1936. B E, BERTRAN 2,@27,

METHOD OF CASTING BELL BOTTOM PLAGE FILING IN SOFT SANDY MATERIAL Filed July 25, 1932 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 :inventor Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF CASTING BELL-BGTTOM PLACE-PILING IN SOFT SANDY MA- TERIAL f Calif'.

Application July 25, 1932, Serial No. 624,363

6 Claims.

My invention relates to lmethods of casting bellbottom place-piling in soft sandy material and the objects of my invention are: Y A

First, to provide a method of this class which enables one to 4drill into soft sandy material without the use of liners or other means for preventing a cave-in while drilling;

Second, to provide a method of this class wherein a semiliquid substance is maintained in the piling bore during the drilling operation;

Third, to provide a method of this class wherein fresh concrete is introduced by means of a tube at the bottom of the piling bore in such a Vmanner as to displace the semifiuid substance utilized during the drilling operation;

Fourth, to provide a method of this class wherein the concrete is forced under pressure so as to completely displace the semifluid substance and lihereby Yoccupy all portionsrof excavated piling ore; Y A

Fifth to provide a method of this` class wherein the tube used to introduce the concrete lforms a guide for positioning the reinforcing, the tube being removed as the height of the concrete is increased;

Sixth, to provide a method of this class wherein a uniformity in the size and shape of the piling may be maintained and the strength of the piling is maintained at its highest possible Value regardless of the condition of the ground in which it is placed; and

Seventh, to provide on the whole a novel method of casting bell bottom place piling in softrsandy material, which is efficient and economical and easily adapted ,to a wide variety of conditions.

With these and other objects in View aswll appear hereinaftenmy invention consists oflcertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of elements and methods of applying them to the construction of place piling as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon which 4 form a part of this application, in which:

Figure-1 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the concrete introducing tube and its removable bottom member taken through I-I of Fig. 3; Fig. 2l is another. fragmentary sectional 50 view thereof illustrating one of the lifting loops taken substantially through 2 2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a reduced plan view of the concrete introducing tube; Fig. 4 is a transverse` sectional View thereof substantially through 4-4 of Fig. 6; Fig. 5 is 55 a sectional view of the piling bore as it appears upon completion of the drilling operation and before the concrete is introduced; Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the next step in my method in which the. concrete introducing tube has been inserted but before the bottom member is removed; Fig. 7 is a similar sectional view illustrating the next step in which the concrete introducing tube has been raised slightly and a ram has been inserted so as to force the concrete into the bottom of the piling bore; Fig. 8 is a similar sectional view illustrating the following step in which l0 the ram has forced the concrete contained in the tube into the piling bore; Fig. 9 is a similar sectional view in which the ram has been removed and reinforcing incorporating a liner has been placed within the tube; Fig. l0 is a similar secl5 tional view which shows the concrete introducing tube in the process of being removed; Fig. 1l is a similar sectional view after the tube has been removed and Fig. l2 shows the liner partially filled with concrete after a structural steel stub has 20 `been secured therein.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar l elements utilized in my method of casting bell bottom place pilings in soft sandy material.

Piling bore I, semiliquid substance 2, concrete introducing tube 3, end plate 4, rods 5, brackets 6, lifting loops l, ram 8, reinforcing 8 liner IE! and stub member I I constitute the principal elements utilized in my novel method of casting place piling in soft sandy material.

My method of casting or forming piling in situ enables the casting of such piling in soft sandy material whether the material be wet or dry or dusty. The first step consists in drilling a bore i with any suitable drilling tool while maintaining the bore lled with asemiliquid substance 2 such as mud or the like. The operation of the drilling tool causes the sandy or loose material to collect in the digging member displacing the mud therein. From time to time the tool is withdrawn to empty out the accumulated material. When the desired depth is reached a belling tool is used to form a belled chamber or cavity Ia at the bottom of the bore I. During the process of forming the bore I and the bell Ia the mud prevents the side walls from caving in.

After the bore is completed, a concrete introducing tube 3 is inserted. The tube 3 may be a section of a rel-atively large pipe which is relatively smaller in diameter than the bore I. The lower lend of the tube 3 is temporarily covered by an end plate 4 which is held against the tube by means of rods 5 which extend upwardly along the outer side of the tube and t in brackets supported at the upper end of the tube as shown best in Figs. 1 and 6. Lifting loops 'I are attached to the side of the tube 3 at a point somewhat above its central portion. The tube 3 is partially filled with concrete and is inserted in the bore I. The weight of the tube and concrete forces the tube to the bottom of the bore I displacing the semiliquid 2.

When the tube has been properly centered and the end plate 4 is resting at the bottom of the bore I, the rods 5 are unscrewed from the end plate 4 and removed. The tube is then raised slightly as shown in Fig. 7 and a ram 8 is inserted in the tube. The ram 8 is preferably in the form of a solid cylinder and composed of concrete. It is constructed heavy enough that its weight under normal conditions is sufficient to force the fresh concrete, designated C out of the lower end of the tube 3 and into the belled portion Ia so as to displace the similiquid 2. The semiliquid 2 passes upwardly along the sides of the tubev I and overows the top of the bore.

After the ram 8 has completed its movement, it is withdrawn and a tubular reinforcing framework 9 is inserted until its lower end is adjacent t0 or rests upon the end plate 4 which has been left in the bore I when the tube 3 was raised. The upper portion of the reinforcing 9 supports a liner I0 which is in the form of a tube slightly smaller than the concrete introducing tube 3. The liner I0 extends only into the upper portion of the bore I and preferably projects from the mouth thereof as shown in Figs. 9 to l2 inclusive. After the liner and reinforcing have been positioned, more concrete is added through the tube 3 and said tube is raised so that the fresh concrete flows laterally from the under end of the tube, displacing the semiliquid substance and completely filling the space between the walls of the bore I. After the level of the fresh concrete is above the lower end of the liner I0, the tube 3 may be withdrawn entirely. A stub member I I is then placed within the liner I0 and the liner is then filled with fresh concrete so as to anchor the stub member I I therein. It should be here noted that my method may be utilized for the construction of piers whether they lare located on land, whether or not the bottom of the bore is below the water table, or whether the entire bore is belou7 the water level. In the latter case it is merely necessary to dispose the protruding end of the tube 3 above the water level so as to facilitate the introduction of concrete and positioning of the reinforcing.

Though I have shown and described a particular method of casting bell bottom place piling in soft san-dy material, I do not wish to be limited to this particular method, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the method substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of casting place piling in soft material consisting of drilling an unlined bore into soft material while maintaining a semiliquid wall retaining substance in said bore and then introducing piling forming material while in a plastic state at the bottom of said bore underneath the mass of said semiliquid wall retaining substance in direct Contact with said semiliquid wall retaining substance so as to entirely displace said semiliquid wall retaining substance and then removing everything from said bore except said piling forming material and the metallic reinforcing.

2. A method of casting place piling in soft material consisting of drilling an unlined bore into soft material while maintaining a semiliquid wall retaining substance in said bore, then introducing a tube into said bore, then forcing piling forming material while in a plastic state through said tube to the bottom of said bore underneath the mass of said semiliquid wall retaining substance in direct contact with said semiliquid wall retaining substance so as to displace said semiliquid wall retaining substance, then positioning reinforcing within said tube, and then raising said tube and filling said bore with added piling forming material and then removing everything from said bore except said piling forming material and the metallic reinforcing.

3. A method of casting place piling in soft material consisting of drilling an unlined bore into soft material while maintaining a semiliquid wall retaining substance in said bore, then introducing into said bore a tube temporarily closed at one end containing piling forming material, then opening the lower end of said tube, then forcing said piling forming material out of the lower end of said tube underneath the mass of said semiliquid Wall retaining substance in direct contact with said semiliquid wall retaining substance so as to displace said semiliquid wall retaining substance, then positioning reinforcing within said tube and then raising said tube and lling said bore with added piling forming material and then removing everything from said bore except said piling forming material and the metallic reinforcing.

4. A method of casting place piling in material consisting of drilling a bore into material while maintaining a semiliquid in soft soft said bore, then introducing a tube containing piling forming material and temporarily closed at one end into said bore, then opening the lower end of said tube, then forcing said piling forming material out of the lower end of said tube so as to displace said semiliquid substance, then positioning reinforcing within said tube, then positioning a liner around the upper portion of said reinforcing within said tube, then filling said tube with piling forming material until above the lower end of said liner, then raising said tube while maintaining the level of said piling forming material within said liner so as to cause said piling forming material to displace the semiliquid substance within said bore.

5. In a method of casting bell bottom place piling in soft material, consisting of drilling an unlined bore into soft material and forming a belled bottom therefor While maintaining a semiliquid wall retaining substance in said bore in suicient quantities to retain the walls thereof in position, then introducing piling forming material while in a plastic state through a tube of a size nearly filling said bore discharging at the bottom of said bore underneath the mass of said semiliquid wall retaining substance in direct contact with said semiliquid wall retaining substance so as displace the semiliquid wall retaining substance in the belled end of said bore, then raising said tube and introducing additional piling forming material below the semiliquid wall retaining substance remaining in said bore and then removing everything from said bore except said piling forming material and the metallic reinforcing.

6. A method of casting bell bottom place piling in soft material, consisting of drilling an unlined bore into soft material and forming a belled lower end thereto While maintaining a semiliquid wall retaining substance in said bore, then temporarily closing the lower end of a tube of a size nearly lling said bore and then lling said tube with piling forming material, then introducing said tube and its contents into said bore, then removing the closure for said bore so that said piling forming material may ow into said bore at the lower end thereof, then introducing a ram into said tube so as to force said piling forming material to enter the belled end of said bore underneath the mass of said semiliquid wall retaining substance in direct contact with said semiliquid wall retaining substance and displace said semiliquld wall retaining substance, then introducing reinforcing into said tube and then raising said tube and adding piling forming material below the remaining semiliquid wall retaining substance so as to displace the same and then removing everything from said bore except said piling forming material and the metallic rein- 10 forcing.

BENJAMIN E. BERTRAN. 

